More To Life

What happens when God’s plan for your life looks nothing like the one you imagined? In this episode, Marlene and her husband, Neil, share a remarkable journey through heartbreak, unexpected love, adoption, and a miraculous trip to Ethiopia that reunited their daughters with their birth families. Along the way, they discovered answers to prayers they could never have orchestrated themselves. Their story is a great reminder that even when we cannot see what God is doing, we can trust His goodness, His timing, and His faithfulness. Tune in for an encouraging conversation about two brave people who let go of their plans and learned to trust the One who knew them best.

As we head back to school, we’re sitting down with Ceili Joyce who is preparing for an exciting new chapter at Summit College this fall.

But getting to this point hasn’t been easy. Throughout her middle and high school years, Ceili struggled with severe anxiety and panic attacks. Things many of us take for granted—like going to a movie theatre, being in a crowded church, or surrounded by large groups of people—could feel overwhelming.

Even when her parents stopped attending church, Ceili’s own faith remained. She continued attending Bible study and eventually found her way into the youth ministry at Emmanuel Church. What began as simply showing up grew into serving as the church’s office administrator, joining leadership teams, and eventually becoming a youth ministry intern. But there were moments when she was ready to walk away and decide that ministry simply wasn’t for her. After years of waiting she finally received an answer that changed her direction.

Today, the same young woman who once feared crowded spaces and struggled to enter a movie theatre has been able to preach in front of auditoriums full of students.

In this back-to-school episode, Ceili shares her journey of anxiety, faith, calling, and growth—and gives us an inside look at the many things happening behind the scenes in Emmanuel’s youth ministry.

Tune in to hear how far God has brought her—and where He is leading her next.

What began as a short-term missions trip to Mexico turned into 23 years of faithful ministry for Dennis and Diane Unrau. Continuing to serve through Restoring the Foundations, they eventually returned to Canada and their journey is a powerful testimony of God’s provision, guidance, and faithfulness through every season. If you’ve ever wondered whether missions might be for you, questioned how God makes a way when He calls someone to serve, or wrestled with what needs to be considered before stepping out in faith, this conversation will encourage and inspire you. Through real challenges, difficult decisions, and life-altering moments, Dennis and Diane experienced God’s presence again and again. They began serving at Emmanuel Church in the 70s (!) and are still involved members to this day. Join this long-serving couple as they share the incredible story of how one simple “yes” changed the course of their lives.

For our April episode we meet Shelley Thody. She has walked through more darkness than

most people ever face. She retells her story here with honesty and hard-earned peace. After

experiencing sexual molestation as a youth, she became very depressed. Many aspects of her

teen years affected her well-being and her moods became more extreme. She also experienced

intense highs. Eventually she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition that would shape

much of her life. By her early twenties, overwhelmed and in a deep low, she attempted to end

her life but was miraculously resuscitated. While dealing with and learning about her mental

illness, she went back to school and became a teacher. With her young family she decided to

find a church and together they decided to give it a try. This is a story of rebuilding, finding a

renewed purpose, and focusing on the steady ground of faith to build a peaceful life upon.

Listen in to her undeniable miracles and the ever-present hope of having God in her life.

Shelley has published her story and insights into bipolar disorder in two books too! Find

“Melancholy, Mania and Miracles” and “Miracles Unfolding” on Amazon.

In this episode, I sit down with Ben, the Okanagan Director for Youth for Christ—a man whose life is guided not by a schedule, but by a willingness to respond to the Holy Spirit at any hour, at any moment.

From showing up in the middle of the night during suicide crises or overdoses to walking with teens for years as a steady presence, Ben lives on the front lines of heartbreak and hope. He speaks honestly about burnout, discouragement, and the weight of life-and-death moments.

As he puts it, “after years of being a presence in these teens' lives, what an honour when that teen says, ‘I believe you're actually here for me, you're on this journey with me,’ and then they ask me what to do at their personal crossroads.”

This is a raw conversation about what it means to be a “first responder for Jesus”—and why, despite it all, he wouldn’t choose anything else.

As Emmanuel Church celebrates 50 years of faith and community, this month’s episode shares the story of a couple who have called Emmanuel home for decades! Randy and Colleen Mueller found each other later in life after previous marriages, and they built their new beginning on a shared foundation of faith and the support of their church family — their true second home. Together, they have walked the challenges of Randy's lifelong Crohn’s disease with perseverance, patience, and a growing trust in God’s peace, strengthened by the care of their faith community. In this conversation, they also share heartfelt encouragement for anyone struggling with unexpected health issues or hardships. And they have some wisdom for the next generation on building a resilient faith and a strong church foundation that will carry them through every season of life.

Born with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), Brandon faced early physical and social challenges, including developmental delays and bullying after entering a large public school. Though academically bright, these experiences shaped his resilience and led to a turning point when he repeated a grade and began to thrive.

Guided by strong morals at home and the mentorship of a hockey coach, Brandon avoided destructive paths but continued searching for deeper purpose. After moving to West Kelowna, that search led him to a local church—one email and a few coffee conversations later, his life changed. Today, he is deeply rooted in his faith, has hungered after knowing God and read the Bible four times in three years!

Listen in as Brandon gives a clear, upfront description into what his path was like as he learned what the Christian life was like and how he became a new follower of Jesus.

In this raw and deeply moving episode, we sit down with Dustin Little, born and raised on the Red Pheasant Reserve in Saskatchewan. At just five years old, Dustin witnessed a shocking, life-altering event that left him homeless and without a family to raise him. Moved through the foster system, he endured multiple forms of abuse—experiences that made him feel forgotten, discarded, and alone. As he got older, that pain turned into rage. Dustin became a martial arts fighter, living hard in a world fueled by alcohol, drugs, and a destructive party lifestyle. By all accounts, his life should have come to a violent end. But it didn't. Dustin shares how God intervened—literally and physically—pulling him back from the brink. In the darkest moments of addiction and violence, he encountered a light he could not deny. Today, Dustin is a Muay Thai Champion and coach, using the same discipline and talent that once fed his destruction to build others up and live with purpose. This is a story of survival, faith, and redemption—of how Jesus became his light in the darkness, his saviour, and his future.

You won’t want to miss this conversation.

At fifteen years old, while attending a South African boarding school for farming and agriculture, Kevin encountered Jesus in a life-changing way as the Holy Spirit met him through dreams, prayer, and a powerful anointing that sparked revival among his classmates and even his teachers. Years later, guided (in a sometimes humorous way!) by God’s provision, he immigrated to Canada, only to face the heartbreak of an unexpected divorce and the hard task of relearning his own identity. Yet through every trial, God continued to be with him and restore him. Today, he walks in renewed hope and faith, with his eyes ever fixed on the big picture of eternity.

Join me as I interview Kevin Burhmann, a staple here in Emmanuel Church's worship and men's ministry.

In this month’s episode, we sit down with a remarkable woman, Trisha Martin, who faced difficult health crises—not once, but twice. First during pregnancy she battled debilitating anxiety, and then again - a disease all too similar to what affected her father, all while balancing the chaos and beauty of motherhood, marriage, and career. With the shadow of her father’s incurable degenerative disease looming over her own symptoms, fear could have consumed her. But instead of asking “Why me, God?”, she discovered something much more powerful: a God who walked every step with her even when she couldn’t take steps herself.

From initial diagnoses to what were potentially life-saving interventions, her story is one of grace, resilience, and unwavering faith. This isn’t just a story of strength in tough times; it’s a story of seeing God in the hardest places, and finding gratitude in the midst of uncertainty.